On the Bears

Chicago Bears quarterbacks more the problem than the organization philosophy

Though certainly the franchise could do a better job executing its plans

November 18, 2009|By Dan Pompei

Balance is admirable, both in offenses and arguments.

So allow me to try to add some of it to the interesting case Rex Grossman's father laid out.

Dan Grossman told Fred Mitchell of the Tribune the quarterback position is a black hole for the Bears because of their organizational philosophy. There have been times, certainly, when the Bears organization has failed its quarterbacks. But there have been many other times when the Bears quarterbacks have failed their organization.

It's not the jersey that threw all those interceptions.

Peyton Manning would not have turned into Chad Hutchinson if he had been forced to wear an orange C on his helmet. And Craig Krenzel would not have become Tom Brady with a little tender loving care from Bill Belichick.

Most of the Bears quarterback problems through the years have been because of their quarterbacks -- not because of the planets orbiting around them.

Grossman's father said offenses need to be built around quarterbacks and committed to the pass to succeed. But history -- even recent history -- is filled with examples of successful teams built around strong running games and dominant defenses.

The Bears hardly are the only team that wants to be known as a running team. Ever hear of the Pittsburgh Steelers? They have won more Super Bowls -- six -- than any team in history. And they have won each of them with the same philosophy the Bears espouse.

And speaking of Super Bowls, that philosophy worked pretty well in 1985.

Jerry Angelo helped build a Super Bowl winner in Tampa Bay using the same philosophy. Three of the last four Super Bowl winners -- the Steelers twice and the Giants -- were built as running teams, though injuries forced the Steelers to adapt.

The Titans had the best regular-season record in football last year using this philosophy. The Vikings are having quite a run with a similarly built team this year.

A team's offensive objective should not be to get the quarterback to the Pro Bowl. It should be to win games -- and the best way for most teams to win games is with a balanced offense.

There has been a trend in recent years that favors the teams that throw it the best. If Manning had 30 more quarterback brothers, every team would be filling the sky with footballs. But most teams don't have a quarterback who can throw the ball as efficiently as Manning. They have no choice but to search for offensive balance.

If Jay Cutler performs up to his abilities, the Bears would have a chance to become one of those elite passing teams. But in his brief Bears career, his performances have sent notice that the Bears better get their running game going.

It's not as if the Bears have treated their offense like a step-child. They have had some significant veteran acquisitions on offense in Angelo's tenure with the team -- most notably Muhsin Muhammad, John Tait and Thomas Jones.

Since Angelo became general manager in 2002, six of eight first-round picks have been used on offensive players. And 15 of 29 draft picks in the top three rounds have been used on offensive players.

You can argue they picked the wrong players. Or you can argue they failed to develop some of them. Or that some of them were unlucky with injuries.

But you can't argue that they have ignored their offense.

The Bears probably have spent a little more money on defensive players than offensive players in recent years, but that's because they have had more successful defensive players with expiring contracts. And the spending hasn't been that lopsided.

This year, for instance, they have used $61.8 million of their cap space on offensive players and $65 million on defensive players as of Tuesday. They have spent another $4.3 million of their cap space on their kickers.

If the Bears decide to spend more to help Cutler next year, they will have less to spend to prop up the defense -- that's the way the salary cap works, and that's the way cash budgets work.

Could the Bears have given Rex Grossman more to work with? Sure. Can they make it easier for Cutler? Absolutely.

But balance almost always is the best approach.

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dpompei@tribune.com

Chance for a revote

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